Day Two of the Great VA GOP Meltdown

Red State ^ | 24th December 2011 | Moe Lane

[shield]

For those coming in late, let me summarize*: both Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry have been excluded from the Virginia Republican primary by the Virginia GOP. This has placed the VA GOP in an awkward situation, given that: they have excluded the current national and Virginian front-runner from their own ballot; have currently no write-in option on the ballot; do have an open primary that anyone can vote in; and generally have created an environment peculiarly suited for conspiracy theories involving Mitt Romney (and ones that won’t contain the word ‘Mormon’ anywhere in their description, by the way). The current defenses to all of this are “rules are rules” and “any campaign that couldn’t follow them are by definition poor campaigns:” I will leave it to the individual reader to decide just how either argument will play in, say, Peoria; I am frankly of the opinion that the above defenses are well-suited towards reassuring Romney and/or Paul voters – and will do very little to persuade the other 60-65% or so of likely Republican primary voters.

But since I’m telling Mitt Romney what won’t help his situation, it kind of behooves me to tell him what might.

[C. Edmund Wright]

>> If they don’t qualify then tough toenails. Either follow the fricking rules or get out of the game. >>

True conservatives will readily question burdensome bureacratic “rules” that are based on central control and reducing opportunity.

Liberals and shallow thinkers will hide behind “rules are rules” thinking even when the rules are idiotic and made simply to advantage life long Presidential candidates.

I guess you just happily and proudly lumped yourself in with liberals and shallow thinkers.

[World'sGoneInsane]

Your right if they cannot even manage to get on the ballot what chance do they have against the dirtbag in the wh

You're right. Why not concede the election to the current occupant, he'll get all the signatures he needs. /sarc

[TYVets]

,,,,but mostly it will just render the Virginia GOP a laughingstock.

It appears they are well on their way to doing that.

[RckyRaCoCo]

If the GOP were a serious party, Obama wouldn’t have happened.

[princess leah]

The GOP needs serious help - Rush told us that the Dems will tell us who they fear the most by how much they hit the candidate but the GOP must also fear Newt badly because they have gone OUT OF THEIR WAY to undermine him. I fear our country is lost...

[bramps]

The Va. Repubs must want Obama back. They didn't learn in 2008. If Obama wins, we deserve him. I just feel bad for the generation or so that are going to live with his Supreme Court choices. They will change the Constitution without a changing or adding a single amendment to it. If Romney or Paul are selected as the Rep nominee. Good bye election.

[HereInTheHeartland]

So will people still be telling us how bad our caucus system is here in Iowa?

[C. Edmund Wright]

I’m all for checking the Mitt and Paul signatures as well, but these two guys have been running for President forever (Mitt for 7 years, Paul for 20 some) - so I don’t doubt they have the sigs.

I just hate rules that are burdensome and stupid and favor one class over another (this rule favors long time candidates for example).

And I really find if laughable that some Freepers are trying to maintain their conservative outside the beltway credibility while supporting rules that favor bureaucrats and life long candidates. I mean, some Freepers are pooping all over their own dignity and credibility.

Three of the candidates affected by this are folks I do not support, but I’ll stand up for them in this fight in a skinny minute. Any primary with these rules and who will allow Dems to vote is a primary that needs to be shamed.

[PSYCHO-FREEP]

This is no laughing matter. Virginia is extremely important and can be an election breaker, since it is one of the few states with 50 delegates. And it is WINNER TAKES ALL, “Open” Primary.

It is also no coincidence that Romney is very tight with the Virginia State Governor, McDonnell. Who I will guarantee offered a whole lot of help and people, to help Romney get the 15,000 signatures required, which will automatically stop all inspection or scrutiny of the validity of the signatures submitted by the candidate.

I suspect that a Romney win will find that his VP choice will miraculously become McDonnell.

[kabar]

Well put. Newt barely made the ballot in Ohio and didn’t get on the ballot in Missouri. The responsibility lies with the candidates to comply with the state rules. Crying crocodile tears about the unfairness of VA’s standards instead of allocating responsibility to where it belongs —the candidates—does not bode well for the general election.

[Sybeck1]

Romney’s Southern strategy? Whittle it down to him and the kook?

[TribalPrincess2U]

I’ll sit it out, and the VA GOP can rest assured that they re-elected Obama.

And the VA GOP will thank you, Im sure.

[jonrick46]

I think you have touched on a larger problem. Why is the Republican National Committee so quiet? These state parties make it very expensive to get on their primary ballot. The signature requirements of Virginia have proven to be a failed system. It is time to scrap it and put in place a more reasonable system. If the RNC does not move to fix Virginia's system, it shows us that the RNC would like the field of candidates to thin out quickly. All these candidates make the possibility of a brokered convention likely I am sure. However to let a system like Virginia has go forward because of expediency makes the Republicans look bad.

[Cyber Liberty]

Central rule over local rule? Changing the rules after the vote? Shouldn't the RNC check with Republicans in Virginia first? This sounds too much like a Democrat argument to me.

You make a good point, but we have to consider the possibility there are some in the states' GOP power structures who cheat. I don't know if that's the case here...If the candidates didn't come up with the petition signatures in the first place, that's one thing. But if they did have the signatures but a bunch got challenged and thrown out, that's another.

[kroll]

If the GOP were a serious party, Obama wouldn’t have happened.

Don't know about that. Atrocious a President as Zero undoubtedly is, he ran a brilliant campaign. I think the Virginians should vote Paul and slow down Mitt, btw.

[Mad Dawgg]

Conservatives Question the Rules BEFORE THE GAME STARTS not after they lost the match. That is the Liberal game plan and you just ousted yourself as such Lib-Boy.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

........”The VA GOP required 10K signatures (with 400 from each district); but they also declared that anyone who brought in 15K (with 600 from each district) would not need to have those signatures verified. If I was advising the Romney campaign right now,”........

Read on at the source.

[Jabba the Nutt]

Bingo and Touche!!.

[OldMissileer]

Hey, I would rather vote for Newt than Mitt (Such a dilemma is akin to saying I would rather eat a one inch long dog turd instead of a two inch long dog turd).

Great analogy. I agree with it.

[Gaffer]

Been there done that with McCain...Romney, NO WAY again. I’m done with this sh!t